Playing Safe
by Louise Hargadon
Summary: Bittersweet oneshot set between Seasons 1 and 2. Just why did Sousa leave for LA without the SSR's finest agent by his side? And why didn't Peggy insist on leaving the grim streets of New York for the dry heat of the west coast? PeggySous .


_**A/N:** For my very dear friend, Tumblr user **40s-queen** , who wanted to know why Daniel and Peggy might have been separated in the first place. This is for you, sweetpea!_

 **Playing Safe**

He stood in the doorway for a few moments, watching the way she furiously scribbled on the report form, the way her brow furrowed with concentration, how every now and again she absently blew her hair out of her eyes without pausing in her writing.

That was Peggy all over. She was dedicated, hardworking and tough. She was stylish and carried a natural air of elegance that was endearingly rough around the edges. Yet, she never seemed to notice any of that about herself. There was only ever the job. Even when she wrote her reports up, she had ten times the dedication and displayed a keener sense of attention to detail than any of her male coworkers did. Perhaps her tenacity and courage was what he loved most about her. Perhaps it was the way she blew her hair out of her eyes. Perhaps it was her big brown eyes and her sunshine smile that had melted his heart so thoroughly. Daniel didn't know. What he did know, however, was that it was definitely long past home time.

"C'mon Peggy, it's nearly morning!" he called out, making his way over to his desk. She continued writing and didn't look up.

"Five more minutes," she called back. She only stopped writing when he placed his fingertips firmly on the report.

"It can wait."

"I was nearly done."

"You were not, either, Carter. I know when you're wrapping up your report and when you're just getting to the good part!"

Despite herself, Peggy let out a good-natured chuckle.

"Why, Agent Sousa, how pleasant to know I have someone looking out for my welfare," she said, with only a mild hint of sarcasm in her tone. Daniel looked down at her and threw her an awkward half-smile.

"You know it," he said, quietly. Her smile widened. "You got time for a drink?" he asked, a hopeful note in his tone. Peggy hesitated for a moment, but for some reason, tonight Daniel Sousa decided that he was not going to be fobbed off again with Peggy's disarming grin and her vague half-promise of 'some other time'.

"I'm not sure, Daniel, it's getting quite late and there are some rather strict rules at the boarding house about-"

"Peggy, Dottie Underwood managed to hide a dead body in her room for who knows how long, I'm sure you're resourceful enough to be able to sneak past the crazy old lady at the gate after lights-out," Daniel said. He could be persuasive too, when he put his mind to it. Peggy opened her mouth to argue but found that her tired brain wasn't quite fast enough for a witty comeback, so she dropped her shoulders and nodded.

"You make a valid point," Peggy said. "All right, that would be nice. Thank you."

"Great. I'll even treat you to the first drink," he promised, the threat of a chuckle in his voice.

"The age of chivalry certainly isn't dead in the SSR, I see," she said, dryly.

"What can I tell ya? I learned all I know from Thompson." he answered, his brown eyes glinting mischievously. She let out a shout of laughter.

"Good Lord, I certainly hope not!" she said. She allowed Daniel to help her on with her coat and the two of them headed to the small, smoky bar across the street. The drinks weren't watered down, the music was loud enough to dance to and quiet enough to talk over, and the lights were good and low for anyone in the mood for a surreptitious kiss during the last dance.

Peggy and Daniel sat at the bar and drank their whiskies in a comfortable silence as they watched the couples dancing on the floor. He looked over at Peggy as she watched the movements of one couple in particular, a tall, blond man dancing closely with a brunette woman. She seemed to be lost in the moment, almost unaware that Daniel was even there. Perhaps she wished she could be up on the floor, dancing with someone. He pursed his lips together ruefully. If only he could have taken her hand at that moment and led her to the dance floor. He was sure that she would dance in the same way she did everything else - what she lacked in finesse she made up for with her passion and charm.

"I'm sorry, Carter, I forgot my dancing shoes tonight," he joked. She snapped out of the trance she was in and looked at him.

"It's quite all right," she said with a polite smile. "I'm not much of a one for dancing myself."

"I can't believe that's true," he said, gently. Almost without thinking, he reached out and squeezed Peggy's hand. She smiled at the gesture and placed her free hand loosely over his.

"Perhaps. It's been a long time since I've... I don't know. It's been a long time since I had the right partner," she said with a distant smile, a sad look in her eyes. "Maybe someday," she said, shaking her head briskly. "I always seem to get so maudlin after a whiskey, perhaps I ought to stick to a nice long gin."

"You miss Rogers," Daniel said. It wasn't a question. Peggy swallowed. She hadn't expected to hear his name so suddenly.

"He's not an easy man to forget," she answered. He smiled at her.

"I like that about you, Peggy," he said. "You always give it straight. Whatever anyone asks you, you never hold back, you're always down the line."

"There's very little point in hiding one's feelings, especially from someone I care about," she answered. The smile on her face wasn't forced and Daniel found that his face started to ache from the smile plastered all over it.

"I'd sure have loved to take you dancing," he said. "I think we would've had ourselves a swell time."

"Yes. I think we would have done," she answered, truthfully. "I did love to dance when I was younger. Before the war."

"Me too. Seems like the war took a lot from everyone," he said. She nodded thoughtfully before looking up at him.

"And yet here we are, drinking whiskey in a club together after a hard day at work. If it hadn't been for the war, I daresay we would never even have met," she said. "Life does have a way of giving as well as taking."

"I'll drink to that," Daniel said, raising his glass towards her. She nodded and held her glass to his until they heard a definite 'clink'. "What do you say we get out of here?"

"Absolutely," Peggy agreed, draining the last of her whiskey. "I'm afraid I've been a frightful bore this evening, I do apologise."

"You? Boring? You know how much easier it'd be on my nervous system if you were boring?" Daniel joked. Peggy laughed. "It's been good to get you away from the office. Besides, I'm the one who rudely interrupted your report."

"Ah yes, you did lead me astray, so you only have yourself to blame," she said, her eyes twinkling. Daniel shrugged.

"I dunno what to tell you. I got qualifications in leading beautiful women astray!" he said, sure that he would never in a hundred years have been nearly so forward with Peggy if it hadn't been for the three large whiskies swirling around his system and systematically flicking off all his inhibition switches one by one.

"Do you really?" Peggy asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically.

"Depends. Did you believe me?"

"Not for a moment."

"You're a double threat, Carter. Beautiful _and_ smart," he said.

"I hope you don't flirt this outrageously with all of your colleagues, Agent Sousa," Peggy said, not at all sternly.

"Only the British ones."

"Good gracious. Agent Watson in Accounting must see his entire life flash before his eyes every time you walk into the office! The poor man is from Bridlington, he has enough to deal with!" she remarked, innocently. Daniel let out a shout of laughter and offered Peggy his arm, which she gladly took.

They took a slow stroll back to Peggy's building. Normally, Peggy would have insisted that she was perfectly safe on her own and could very easily handle any trouble that came along. There was no need for Daniel to argue with her on that point. He hadn't even actually offered to walk her home. They just happened to end up outside her building, somehow managing to eke a fifteen minute brisk walk into a two hour stroll, in effect travelling from Point A to Point B via Points F through to X. Neither of them really noticed the journey they had taken. They laughed and joked with each other and chatted about various mundane matters of office politics which had annoyed them both for weeks - namely, Agent Baum and the mystery of his disappearing coffee mug. If the man had any sense about him, he would have realised ages ago that O'Malley and Lizzi took turns in hiding it from him every day. Unfortunately, the mystery of his missing mug ensured that Agent Baum was now almost at his wits' end. How he had ended up working for a branch of US Intelligence was beyond anyone's comprehension.

For the first time in almost as long as she could remember, Peggy felt free. She couldn't quite feel the crushing weight of the world on her shoulders. She wished she had spent more time like this with Agent Sousa. He was a kind, gentle man. A little stubborn in his ways, as were most men, but his heart was in the right place. He was just and honest and every bit as brave as any of the men she had fought alongside in her life. He was warm. Emotionally and physically. She couldn't help but feel happy in his company. Happy. That wasn't exactly an emotion she had had the luxury of wallowing in for far too long.

Peggy absentmindedly rested her head on his shoulder as they walked, and Daniel pretended he hadn't noticed, despite the gargantuan smile that instantly took over his entire face. He couldn't remember the last time he had taken a girl out on a date. He was sure it had been sometime before his injury. He felt himself walk a little taller, his head up, purposely ignoring the dull ache in his hip and lumbar spine as he walked on and on. It was worth it. He didn't want to say goodbye just yet. She was still with him.

Eventually, and to Sousa's silent relief, they finally arrived back at Peggy's lodgings. He resolved in that moment to get a cab home. He was only a mortal man with one leg after all, and the brace of his prosthetic had started to chafe a while ago.

"Home sweet home," he said at last, pointing towards her window. Peggy looked surprised.

"Oh! Are we back here already?" she asked. He frowned slightly.

"Peggy, it's almost two in the morning," he told her. Her cheeks flushed pink.

"Is it really?" she asked, covering her mouth with her hands in surprise. "I had no idea. Time certainly does fly!" she said, quickly regaining her composure. "This is why I don't go for drinks after work with you, Sousa. You really are a bad influence. I'm going to look an absolute fright in the morning!"

"I doubt that," he said. "Peggy?" he asked. Peggy looked up at him and their eyes locked for a moment. Daniel's throat went dry for an instant and, before he had chance to talk himself out of it, he pressed his lips to hers. She hesitated for a moment, a little more surprised than shocked, before returning his kiss. His lips were soft, he tasted of whiskey and smelled of smoky nightclubs and the New York midnight air. His stubble scratched her face a little as he kissed her but she didn't care, in fact, she now recalled being rather partial to a little stubble rash. His arms were warm and safe and strong and she could think of nowhere else on earth she would rather be at that moment than being kissed by Daniel Sousa.

Eventually she pulled away, blinking slightly as she returned to earth. They gazed at each other for a few moments, not quite sure what the accepted protocol was at that point for either of them.

"Goodnight, Daniel," she finally said, her smile rendered a little more wild than usual by virtue of her smudged lipstick. Daniel smiled back awkwardly, also adversely affected by her smudged lipstick.

"Goodnight, Peggy," he said, his voice curiously lower than usual. She awkwardly backed into the doorway of the building before turning around and half-running through the foyer to get to the stairway before anyone noticed her coming in so scandalously late. Daniel stood for a full minute staring into space and wondering what on earth had possessed him to kiss her like that before shaking his head briskly and hailing a cab back to his apartment. He wasn't sure what he had expected his night to involve before he left home that morning, but kissing Peggy Carter hadn't really seemed within the realms of possibility until that very moment.

The following morning, Peggy sauntered confidently into the office as usual, a pair of sunglasses hiding her tired eyes from her lack of sleep. She had a large mug of tea in one hand and a poised pen in the other, ready to finish that report once and for all. She was still exhausted from the excitement of the previous night and had successfully blocked out the majority of the gossip around her. The men never had anything exciting to talk about. Meatloaf for dinner that the wife had packed in their lunchbags, how terribly the Yankees were doing, how much the barber shop two blocks away had started to charge for a shave. It was all so perfunctory and dull Peggy never ceased to be amazed at how the empty-headed men she was forced to share workspace with were actually entrusted with the security of an entire nation. Not for the first time that day, she was very glad to be English.

"Agent Carter?" a voice called. Peggy looked up with a start and pulled her sunglasses down to the end of her nose. She saw Daniel in the doorway of Jack Thompson's office. His expression was grave and she suddenly felt a little worried. Were they in trouble for kissing each other? She hadn't read over her contract too thoroughly in recent months, but she was quite sure that outside of office hours her lips still belonged to her and not to the SSR, and therefore she had every right to kiss whomever she pleased on her own time. "Can I speak with you for a moment, please?" he asked, beckoning her towards him. Her frown deepened as she stood up and removed the sunglasses altogether before entering the office. "Take a seat," he offered, pointing to a nearby chair.

"I'll stand," she replied, not sure where the conversation was headed but determined to not be caught off-guard by anyone or anything. He shrugged.

"You don't mind if I sit?" he asked. She shook her head. "I had a late night. Who knew a guy with one leg could walk that far?" he asked. "Let me tell you. He can't!" he said, wincing as he settled into his chair.

"I'm terribly sorry," she began. He shook his head.

"Please. Don't be. I had a real good time," he said. She allowed herself a coy smile as she looked at the floor for a few moments before looking up at him.

"As did I," she answered. There was an awkward pause. "Will that be all, Agent Sousa?" she asked. He looked up at her and shook his head.

"Peggy, I've just been asked to head my own team," he told her. "They want me to start next Monday." She beamed at him.

"Daniel, that's wonderful news!" she said.

"I'm glad you said that, because I've been asked to name my own team and I want you to be my second-in-command," he said. Peggy's eyes widened.

"I... I think I'll take that seat after all, if you don't mind," she said, her voice a little shaky as she sank into the chair.

"It's an obvious choice. You've proven your worth in every way possible over the last few months, and before that in all your work with the SSR during the war. I'd be... well. I'd be proud if you agreed to work with me."

"That's very flattering, of course. And it would be a marvellous opportunity," she said, carefully. Daniel nodded.

"It sure would. It's not every day you get asked to move to LA on a week's notice," he answered. Peggy's heart sank.

"Los Angeles?"

"I do believe LA stands for Los Angeles, yeah."

"Oh dear. Daniel, I am so sorry but I'm afraid I can't accept your offer," she said. Daniel frowned.

"Why not?" he asked, visibly crestfallen. Peggy shook her head.

"I can't leave the New York office now. We're just starting to get some viable leads on the Dottie Underwood case," she said. Daniel tilted his head to one side as he listened to her tirade of excuses. "I've finally managed to forge out my own place on this team. It took long enough to do it, I don't think I'm ready to throw it away just to try and fit into a new department all over again. I don't know anyone in LA. I don't much care for constant sunshine, it's an alien concept to me. Besides, it was difficult enough to find a decent room in New York, can you imagine how tough it will be in LA?"

"You're telling me that an SSR agent doesn't have the capacity to locate a room for rent in Los Angeles?" Daniel asked, raising an eyebrow doubtfully. Peggy blushed.

"Of course not. It's just. I can't leave. I've been stationed in New York almost constantly since I left England. I have friends here. I have... I have history here. I have local knowledge of the area that can be of use during investigations."

"Investigations? Peggy, you said it yourself - you're nothing but a glorified secretary to those bozos outside this door!" Daniel protested. Peggy couldn't look him in the eye. "There aren't gonna be any investigations here. Not for you," he said. She didn't reply and he found her silence to be just as scathing as anything she could have said in a shouting match. "Listen. Peggy. An outgoing girl like you, you'll make new friends in LA. There will be better rooms. I'm not asking you to fill the same position in LA as you are doing here. You'll be in a position of authority. People will take you seriously. They'll respect you like you should be respected. No man in the new office will ever ask you for a cup of coffee or a sandwich or any of the crummy lines the guys out there throw at you!" he insisted.

"People will take me seriously?" she repeated, indignantly. "Why will they take me seriously? Because a man has told them to?" Daniel rolled his eyes.

"I didn't mean it like that," he said, wearily. "I take you seriously. You should know that by now. It kills me inside that the guys here don't give you the credit you deserve, and they let an - excuse me - an asshole like Thompson ride roughshod over everything you do and take credit for all your hard work. I can't keep seeing that every day, Peggy. I'm offering you a chance for something better."

"And I should just take this reward like a good little girl, is that it?" Peggy asked, folding her arms defensively and raising her left eyebrow in derision. Daniel blinked a few times, unsure as to what he had said that was so wrong. "Agent Sousa. I appreciate that you thought of me when considering candidates for your new team. However, I must decline. I am a valuable member of the New York team. Whether or not I am valued by every member of the team is irrelevant. I still feel that I have a job to do here, and I have every intention of doing it. New York is a very special place to me and I am not going to leave just because the SSR decides they would feel better if I was tucked away on the West Coast where I can't embarrass Jack Thompson more thoroughly than I already have." Her eyes were glistening with fury, her tone was clipped and cold, and her diction was sharp and clear. Peggy was within a hair's breadth of losing her temper altogether, and Daniel definitely did not want that.

"I'm sorry you feel that way, Carter," Daniel answered, finally. "I just thought maybe, after... well. After everything, there might be a reason you'd want to work with me."

"I can't. Please don't make me explain myself," Peggy said, quietly. Daniel nodded, more than a little put out.

"I see," he said, failing to hide the anger and hurt in his tone.

"You don't see."

"I'm pretty sure I do. What is it? Too much trouble to get involved with someone like me?" he demanded, gesturing towards the crutch propped up beside the desk. Peggy looked horrified at the very suggestion that his disability would have any impact on her feelings towards him.

"That's ridiculous! Of course not! Daniel, this isn't about you!"

"Then who is it about?"

"Steve!" she shouted, then instantly looked mortified that the name had escaped her lips. Daniel stared at her in silence for what felt like forever. Peggy's shoulders dropped and she stared solidly at the corner of the desk in front of her. "There's so much of Steve here. I'm not ready. I can't let go of him yet."

"But, last night-"

"I know. I'm sorry. You mean such a great deal to me and I do care for you, more than I ever thought I would care for someone again. But... It would be wrong for me to keep you waiting for an answer. Especially when you have a new team to set up," she said, her eyes brimming with sadness. "Besides, there are a dozen agents out there who would quite probably give their eye teeth for the chance of a new life in the sunshine," she added, swallowing hard before smiling bravely at him.

"You know you're worth a dozen agents. I don't want them. I want you," he said. She nodded.

"I'm flattered. Truly I am. And I know you'll be a great success in Los Angeles."

"Sure, the department will take care of itself. It's me I'm worried about. What do I do without you covering my back?" he asked with a grin. She let out a breath of laughter.

"I'm sure you'll soon forget all about me out there with all those glamorous film stars and models and whatnot," she said, dismissively.

"You sure do underestimate yourself sometimes, Peggy."

"Perhaps." There was another uncomfortable silence which she finally broke. "Thank you for the opportunity, Daniel."

"You're welcome."

"Will that be all? I do have a report to finish," she reminded him. He nodded.

"Of course. You best finish that up," he said. "Say, you'll... you'll come for a drink on Friday, won't you? To say goodbye?" he asked. She smiled gently.

"Will you walk me home?" she asked. His eyes sparkled as he remembered their kiss goodnight.

"It's a date."

Peggy closed the door behind her and strode purposefully back to her desk, taking in a deep breath and setting her shoulders back. She knew the sensible choice was to choose a life in the sun, filled with adventure, being with a man she could work alongside as an equal. It was the ultimate happy ending. Staying in New York was like trying to fall back to sleep in the vain hope of recapturing a beautiful, albeit transient dream. Daniel had just offered her the chance of a new dream, and she had outright refused it. Perhaps agents weren't supposed to find their happy endings. Perhaps it was just her specifically who wasn't meant to have a happy ending. Perhaps she was just being a good old fashioned coward. She was scared of her new dream, she was scared of letting herself get too close to Daniel and then losing him as she had lost Steve. She was scared of becoming complacent, of having nothing to fight for, of relying too much on her own strength to protect her. Agents must never become complacent, because that is the very attitude that winds up getting them killed. She knew all of this. She wasn't ready for a quiet, easy life with a man she could very easily love. Not yet.

She sat at her desk and picked her pen up. She had a report to finish.

 **THE END**


End file.
